Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make decisions. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood to adulthood.
The term mental health is commonly used in reference to mental illness. However, knowledge in the field has progressed to a level that appropriately differentiates the two. Although mental health and mental illness are related, they represent different psychological states.
India is the second most populated country of the world with the population of over 1.25 billion. Do you know that around 6-7% of the population lives with mental health problems which means over 70 million people? And this number is increasing every year. These people face challenges in their everyday life and the number is increasing day by day.
There are many different types of mental conditions that are recognized as mental illnesses. Some common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Often these things lead to suicidal thoughts. A suicidal thought is one of the most frightening problems which need immediate treatment.
It can be possible someone in your family or one of your friend or you may be suffering from mental health problem but you don’t know that as we don’t have much knowledge about it. Often we know but don’t want to accept as people having mental illness are not treated equally in India. Often they face discrimination in their surroundings even in families. They face poverty, homelessness and unemployment due to discrimination. A mentally ill person is still referred as crazy or mad person or a “pagal” which is a common word used in India. This is the saddest part. Instead of helping those people we often make fun of them.
Having a mental illness really doesn’t mean a person is mad or crazy though. It just means he or she has a problem, similar to a medical disease, which needs treatment. Why can’t we accept that suffering from mental health problems is like any other health diseases? People with mental health problems can get better or recover completely. But there is a lack of mental health facilities available in our country.
You may suspect that your friend or relative has mental health problem by the way he or she is acting. If you are unsure about you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem.
Some warning signs of mental illness:
- Eating or sleeping disorder i.e. too much or too little eating or sleeping
- Pulling away yourself from people and usual activities
- Having low or no energy
- Feeling numb or like nothing matters
- Having unexplained aches and pains
- Feeling helpless or hopeless
- Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
- Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
- Yelling or fighting with family and friends
- Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
- Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
- Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
- Thinking of harming yourself or others
- Inability to perform daily tasks
As soon as you are quite sure that your friend is suffering from depression, anxiety or any other disorder, you should encourage him or her to see a doctor. Your friend may be denying that there is a problem or maybe even embarrassed to admit that there is a problem. Encourage your friend every day by pointing out his strengths and help him to build his confidence level again. The encouragement of a friend may be all that your friend needs to seek help. Give your friend hope by reminding him that the way he is feeling is only temporary. People who suffer from mental disorders often feel like things will never get better, but you can remind them that this is not the truth.
For helping people facing any kind of problem regarding mental health an IIT student Richa Singh has created a website called yourdost.com which provides counseling and psychological solutions online by experts.
Some organizations such as Live Love Laugh founded by bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and other NGOs have come forward to help people suffering mental health problems.
Links are given below:
http://www.thelivelovelaughfoundation.org/
We all know that prevention is better than cure; so we can have a strong and positive mental health by a healthy lifestyle and a positive mind.
Some ways to maintain positive mental health:
- Getting professional help if you need it
- Connecting with others
- Staying positive
- Getting physically active
- Helping others
- Getting enough sleep
copyright © 2016 livewithstyle19.wordpress.com. All Rights Reserved.
this is really something.I try to walk through this path so can avoid negative thoughts.
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thank you for reading my post.. be happy and be positive.. avoid negative thoughts for good mental health..
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i am thinking it a good idea……..
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thank u so much for reading… 🙂
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i am thinking it a good idea………..
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A wonderful and comprehensive post …welldone rashmi..
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thank you so much anik for reading my post… keep reading my posts and write your opinion in the comment box.. 🙂
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mental illness is serious problem in our country. Anxiety , depression are just part of our fast life style. And I like the ways to maintain positive mental health ……
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thank you ratul for reading my blog post.. keep maintaining this positivity towards life.. it will help you to maintain a healthy mind.. i hope u can see posts on anxiety and depression very soon.. 🙂
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Decent blog (y)
Short and apt…
Keep up the good work… looking forward to your new posts 🙂
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thank you so much for reading my blog post Rupss.. i am glad that you like it… be positive and be happy for a healthy mind…
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You’re welcome 🙂
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wah….nice post & also fruitful
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thank you so much for reading my post… 🙂
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It’s is so fruitfull and too much motivated
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thank you so much for reading my blog post.. read more and get motivated.. 🙂
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Reblogged this on livewithstyle19.
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Reblogged this on disue.
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Thanks…:)
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Wonderfully informative post! I’m a new follower and look forward to reading more!
Ena https://prettyplusandproud.wordpress.com/
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Thanks for reading and follow Ena.. Yeah sure.. that will be my pleasure…:)
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I write on this subject a lot. Medication can only eliminate the symptoms. There are many causes that need to be eliminated.
I am doing my bit to provide support to people on Quora. Many around the world have reached out to me. They just need someone to hear them out.
Bless you Rashmi for making people aware though this blog. You take care of yourself.
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Thank you Sudhir for doing such wonderful job. Keep doing these things for those people who need help. If you think I can help you about this matter, please ask me. It will be my pleasure. 🙂
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Yes please. Inquire about me once in a while, so that I don’t give up.
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Your views ???
https://suvarnaventures.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/ostracism-psychological-impact-of-ignoring-depression/
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I will definitely read it as soon as possible and share my views with you Sudhir..:)
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Thank you, Rashmi…Good morning !
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You are most welcome Sudhir.. Good Morning..:)
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Aah ! Liked it ! You know the importance of mentioning the name of the person you are interacting with. Have a nice day ! 🙂
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Of course I know Sudhir.. Have a nice day.. 😀
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Hi Rashmi, it is very interesting to hear of experiences faced by people with mental health issues in other parts of the world. It really is a global issue. For me I’ve had anxiety and depression for a lot of years, and awareness here in the UK is on the rise, but it still has a long way to go. I look forward to reading more of your blogs. I’m new to it, but finding it really helpful to share my experiences with others.
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Thank you so much Carl for reading my blog post.. I’m feeling proud of you as you share about your depression and anxiety.. People most of the time hesitate to share their problem which is one of the biggest problems in these cases..The best thing you are doing is sharing your experiences to other people.. It will give confidence or help other people to deal with mental health problems..I’m glad to know that you find my posts helpful.. I’ll try to write more posts on these kind of topics.. 🙂
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That’s very kind of you to say Rashmi. I really do hope it encourages other people too. My blog is a bit of a mix of topics, but I’ll continue sharing my experiences with openess and honesty 😊
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Yes, I believe people will be encouraged by your posts.. sharing those experiences need courage and strong mentality.. wonderful job.. May God bless you.. 🙂
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Thank you Rashmi, God bless you also. I hope you’re having a good day
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You are most welcome Carl.. It is 7.21pm now in India.. Day has been gone. It’s night now…:P
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Haha oh yes, I love travelling. I’ve heard India is a beautiful country 😊
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Yes it is… It is very good.. Why don’t you visit India? I’m sure you will love our India..:D
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Perhaps I will, I have a huge list of places to visit. What city are you in? Have you ever travelled?
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I’m from a small town Shyamnagar, Near to Kolkata.. Yes, but within the country. not outside..
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That sounds cool, you’re a great person. I’m sure you are a blessing in your town 😊
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Thank you for the compliment Carl.. I’m not now but I want to be blessing in my town by helping other people..
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Writing a blog on my experience and journey, mental health needs to be a priority.
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Thanks for reading.. Yes mental health needs to be priority because it becomes a serious issue now-a-days..
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Really nice article. Although there are more and more organizations try to help people who have mental health issue but it still a long way to go. The pressure from school, social life and family cause the high rate of suicide. I saw research shows that one in every five children has been found to suffer from mental health issues. According to the World Health Organization, this number is expected to increase by at least 50 percent by the year 2020, with cases of neuropsychiatric disorders increasing. So it is really important to help them as early as possible! That is why I run the blog to increase the mental health awareness of kindergarten parents too.
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Thanks for reading this post.. Completely agree with you.. You are doing a great job.. I’ll definitely read your posts and recommend others also to read… 😀
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You have a very beautiful website. I look forward to coming back and reading more. Please stop by mine and if you like, follow back.
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Great post, I agree wholeheartedly!
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Thanks for reading and sharing your wonderful feedback chrislamberto…:)
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I agree with everything. Take care, Dolphin xx
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Thanks Dolphin for reading… Stay blessed… 🙂
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Rashmi,
I loved your post! I have a severe mental illness, that I talk about on my blog, “breathinglifewithocd.com”. Thank you for making it so clear that mental illness needs treatment just like a physical illness. I hope you’ll look at my blog and let me know what you think; I go into great detail about my OCD and what I’ve been through. I really appreciate this post! Take care!!
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Thanks for reading my blog post Anne.. You are doing a wonderful job by writing topics about mental health.. Keep writing… I’ll definitely read your blog posts… 🙂
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As a student who aspires to be psychiatrist, I can feel each and every word that you’ve written. Mental illness is considered a dogma. A person is mentally ill doesnt necessarily mean that he/she is mentally retarded. There are so many problems and cases that I’ve gone through where I wouldn’t have imagined that the patient was suffering from mental illness.
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Thanks Prachi for reading and sharing your feedback… 🙂
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Reblogged this on Serenity.
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Thanks for the reblog… 🙂
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No problem!
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🙂
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Thanks for the reblog.. 🙂
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Reblogged this on The Melodramatic Confessions of Carla Louise.
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Thanks for the reblog… 🙂
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No problems! It was fantastic x
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Thanks again.. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Getting Through Anxiety and commented:
Rashmi from LIFEWITHSTYLE19 writes about mental health awareness! Please check out her wonderful blog!
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Thanks for the reblog.. 😀
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No problem!
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🙂
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Reblogged this on You're not alone in this world. and commented:
This is a strong post about mental health. Someone who suffers with mental health like me, I find it sometimes amusing to see what others think when they hear mental health. This is post originally done my Life With Style who I just recently started to follow, I recommend taking a look at this post!
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Thanks for the reblog… 🙂
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Welcome!!
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🙂
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Thank you for this post! It’s very thorough & helpful. 🙂
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Thanks for reading and sharing your wonderful feedback… It’s my pleasure that you liked it… 🙂
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You’re most welcome. Keep up the great work!!
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🙂
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Reblogged this on Out crawls Angy.. and commented:
This time of year can be lonely and depressing for many.. so I wanted to reblog this..
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Thanks for the reblog… 🙂
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You’re so welcome.. 😊
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😀
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The thing that scares me most is the stigma of coming out and telling people. I also believe that men such as myself have a tougher time (although strictly internal) letting these things out in fear of society deeming us less of a man. I think we need to “man” up and tell people what is really wrong to allow some of this pressure to be released. I also feel that telling our story is a great strength as this shows people that we are not alone. I am starting to tell mine, it is tough to start, but it feels great to let pressure off your shoulders.
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Thank you for reading my blog post and sharing your feedback… It may seem difficult to speak about the stigma you are going through to others. But, believe me there is no shame or fear to tell about your mental illness. It is like any other physical diseases.. You have taken the right decision to tell your problem to others.. If other people don’t know about it how they can help you.. Hiding is not the solution of any problem. If you want to solve it, you have to face it..
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This is so true and the reason why I started blogging!
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Thanks for reading… I’m glad that you liked my post… Yes, this is a serious problem and people should aware of it… thanks again for the reblog..
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This is a great post and I agree with you 100%, this is exactly what my blog is all about! We need to work together and help those around us instead of bringing each other down.
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I wrote a blog on the Brain on mental illness and how it effects how people like me who have mental illness I want to know everything I can and why it happen to me I live a life of staying positive and I stay away from what I call Toxic people
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Thanks for reading this post WildAllyKat… I’ll definitely read your blog post… Yes, people should be surrounded by positive people and avoid toxic people as much as they can… I hope you will recover from it very soon… I’m extremely sorry for the late reply…
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It’s ok hun thank u for your kind wirdd
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🙂 😀
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Thank you for this! Been struggling with anxiety for the majority of my life. It’s such a challenge to not let it affect me or the things that I want to do.
My sister left college on a medical leave for bipolar. Why is mental health such a scary thing even today?? Awareness is key!
Megan
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Thank you for reading my blog post Megan… It’s my pleasure that this post helped you somehow.. I felt very bad for your sister.. Support her and tell her this kind of problem is quite natural and it will be completely cured by medical help and diagnosis… Mental health disorder is not scary.. Though it is a serious problem, but it is common like any other disease…
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Thanks for the reblog… 🙂
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